


In Sickness

by Caskettmyheart



Series: Aching [4]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: 3x16, Angst, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Mentioned: Winn, Minor character: Kara Danvers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-05-01 09:38:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,097
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14517663
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caskettmyheart/pseuds/Caskettmyheart
Summary: Set around the events of 3x16Alex is sick, Kara is racing to get a cure and Vasquez?She's making a call that's long overdue.AKAMaggie's one remaining fear.





	In Sickness

It’s the phonecall she never wanted to get. It’s the phonecall she honestly forgot she was afraid of. It’s been half a year. A little more actually, but she pretends not to know the exact count of days. She does, it’s been 194 days since she last saw Alex Danvers face to face. And now she’s getting a concerned Vasquez, of all people, calling her. She always liked the woman, but that hint of fear in her voice is very worrying.

She drops everything she’s doing the second she picks up, not even checking caller ID because she’s a cop, she gets calls from unknown numbers often.

“It’s Alex.” She hears, and it’s enough to stop her in her tracks, to have blood drained from her face and her eyes go wide. The shaky breath alerts Vasquez on the other end of the line and she starts speaking at a quick pace. “She’s okay. Well, no, she isn’t really. I’m sorry, I know you said only when it’s really bad and it’s been bad before…” Maggie heard a ruffled sound and she imagined the woman moving through the DEO halls with a hand over the phone. “Look, she’s really bad. I thought she would find a cure for Winn but she got sick herself and we’re back to square one because the antidote isn’t working and… Sawyer, I just thought you should prepare yourself. I don’t know if she’s going to make it.”

Maggie almost fell to her knees. Almost. The image of Alex laying in the DEO hospital bed from when she’d been kidnapped was there, but this time Alex looked weaker, even. The image kickstarted her feet and she snatched all her important belongings from her desk, rushing out of the precinct. “What can I do? There must be something I can do.”

“Maggie,” Vasquez started, “There really isn’t anything you can do but make sure you’re prepared. I don’t know how this is going to go.”

“Is she there? Is she awake?” Maggie fumbled with the keys of her car and when she finally got it open she dumped her stuff on the passenger seat and clutched the phone in her both hands.

“I’m keeping an eye on her. Supergirl’s out there, trying to get the cure. We’re sort of useless here until she gets back. Winn is worse. He got it earlier.”

“Vasquez, is she awake?” Maggie knew that once Alex would be in a coma, things were far worse than if she’s awake. Awake, Alex can fight, she won’t give up, Maggie knows that. So why does she feel so fucking terrified?

“She is, she’s coughing and hurting, but she’s awake. For now.”

Maggie stared into space for a moment, looking around but not seeing anything. She needed to make a decision, quickly. “Can you get me into the DEO?”

“Can I – What? Maggie no you shouldn’t-“

“Vasquez, can you?” Maggie started the car and looked at her phone.

A sigh. A beat of silence and then: “I can.”

“Good, I’m on my way,” and without thinking about it, Maggie pressed the end call button and pulled out of her parking spot faster than ever before.

 

 

 

She made it there in under an hour. She may have used her sirens and pushed the speed limit more than a few times but hey, having left National City, she needed to. She couldn’t risk it. She couldn’t risk being _too late_. Her stomach gave out just thinking about it, and when she parked half hazardly and rushed to the door, she found she’d already been given clearance by Vasquez, thank heavens. She wouldn’t be able to go through the security checks otherwise, she was way too nervous.

She made her way to the correct floor on auto pilot, her hands twitching at her sides, constantly changing between fists and stretched hands. She needed to see her, know she was still here. Because even though she wasn’t hers to love anymore, the feelings never faded. When she said she didn’t want to imagine a world without Alex in it, she meant it. Even if she didn’t have her by her side anymore, this world couldn’t go without Alex Danvers. She needed to get the chance to see more of it, to improve it. She needed to get to live, to love, _to be loved_.

Maggie made it to the med bay, ignoring all the looks she got from people in the mail hall, just walking right past them and up to the landing. She saw Vasquez standing outside the glass at the med bay, her back faced towards her and as she got closer she saw Winn on one side and then her eyes caught the second bed. She froze, a gasp involuntarily left her. She’d been holding her tears, holding them because she didn’t want to believe it was as bad as she’d been led to believe. But now they stung in the corners of her eyes twice as hard. Vasquez turned to her in a flash and made her way to Maggie. She reached out and touched her shoulder, coming to stand beside her to look at Alex Danvers. White as a sheet, cheeks hollow, mouth slightly open, chest rising and falling faster than usual with labored breaths. Her eyes were overcast with a dark shadow and Maggie thought she looked nothing like the Alex Danvers she knew. She was staring, and it was only when Vasquez spoke that she was pulled out of her thoughts.

“She passed out only a few minutes ago. It’s not a coma, but I think her body is exhausted. She’s likely not going to wake up unless Kara returns with the sample they need for the antidote. They left a while ago and are working on retrieving it. They should be here soon.”

“So she’s not going to die?” Maggie’s voice broke on the word. “She’ll live?”

“Yes. They’re deteriorating and aren’t out of the dark yet, but if Brainiac works fast, they’ll get the antidote soon enough.”

The air that filled her lungs in a long drawn breath felt better now. She felt a bit of dread slip out of her as she exhaled, but the relief wasn’t there. It wouldn’t come until she knew for a fact that Alex was alright.

“Do you want to go in?”

For the first time since she laid eyes on her, Maggie tore them away from Alex’s struggling form and turned towards the woman at her side. She was still standing frozen in the same spot and she only now noticed she was clutching the other woman’s hand like it was a lifeline. She released some of the pressure and relaxed her grip. She found her strength back and took a deep breath once more. She felt like she couldn’t get enough oxygen in her body.

“I’d like that. But I don’t know if I should.” She hadn’t thought twice about coming to the DEO on the way to her car, but she knew she maybe didn’t have that right anymore. Apart from the few appearances in the news in Supergirl’s shadow, she’d seen very little of Alex. Knew very little about what her life had been like since… well since they parted ways.

“I think she’d want the same if the situation were reversed. And otherwise she can kick my ass if she finds out later.” Vasquez moved towards the door and held it open for her. “I’ll be around, I’m listening in on the op.”

With the closing of the door, the bustling sounds of the DEO were drowned out and all she could hear were two laboring breaths from the two people in front of her. She checked Winn first, giving herself some time to prepare, but also because as annoying as this nerd could get, he didn’t deserve laying here either. She rested her hand on his shoulder for a moment, saying a silent wish of hope before finally turning around.

The tears that were in her eyes wanted to spill, and even if she tried to keep them, they went ahead anyway. She wiped them away furiously as she approached the woman she once called her _one and done_.

One of her hands reached for the chair on the bedside and pulled it closer to the bed without her eyes ever leaving Alex’s body. She was checking every inch she could, taking in the scratch on her hand, the paleness of her skin on her arms. She noted the new hollowness around Alex’ shoulders and collarbones, up until her pale, quivering lips and dark, closed eyes. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from her, still barely believing that the woman she knew to be so strong could appear so weak. That a disease could kick this powerful woman down. But still here she was.

Her hand hovered over Alex’. She could feel the warmth radiating from her skin. Eventually she let her fingertips trace the scratch on Alex’ hand.

“Come on, Danvers. You’re not going to let some disease get the better of you, are you?” Her voice was wavering, but she tried to keep it steady. “You’re going to make it through, I know you are. You have to. You will.” She swallowed down the lump in her throat but it didn’t work. “You’ve got a family that loves you, that needs you. You’re a badass, a fighter. I know you’re not going to give up. Not when they need you here.” She let her hand rest on Alex’ arm, stopping her tracing motions in favor of the strong stability of holding onto her. “You’re going to fight this and get back to good health.” She nodded to herself, as if trying to convince herself of that.

Alex’ breathing stocked for a moment and Maggie felt her heart stop with it. But after a cough and an even harder-to-take breath, it evened out again.

“Don’t scare me like that, Alex.” Her voice was barely a whisper now. “You can’t do that. Keep breathing, keep fighting, you’ll make it. Your sister is going to race through that door with an antidote any moment and she’s going to fix you up.”

A muscle twitched underneath her fingertips and she wasn’t sure she wished Alex really could hear her or not. But she did know that if this was helping, she did the right thing by coming here. Even if she’d be gone by the time Alex would wake up.

Maggie clutched Alex’ hand in both of her hands and pressed her forehead to it. She stayed like that for a while, just silently hoping, believing, trying her best to remain positive.

When the door behind her opened, she knew it was an impossible mission from the start, but she had to start tearing herself away from Alex again. So she pressed her lips to Alex’ hand softly, before letting go with one hand and turning around to find Vasquez.

“They’re on their way back. If you want to go, you can. But honestly, I’m sure Kara would understand if you decided to stay.”

“Does she know I’m here?”

“Kara? No she doesn’t.”

Maggie nodded, eyes flickering around the room making a decision. “Alright, I’m going to go. Don’t tell Kara, let her focus on her sister. Just,” Maggie turned back towards Alex for a moment, “text me when she wakes up and is healed, okay?” And with that, Maggie placed Alex’ hand back down to rest and stood up, making her way out of the medbay and beelined straight for the exit. They didn’t need any distractions. They needed to focus on the vaccine, on Alex, and Winn, and to help them heal. She’d deal with her emotions later. For now she knew Alex was going to be okay, and that would have to be enough.

Even if it wasn’t, it would have to be. Because a world without Alex Danvers wasn’t a world she was ready for.

 

 

 

It was only hours later, when she was staring up at the ceiling of her bedroom, that her phone chimed with the tone set specifically for Vasquez now.

“She’s up, looks much better than before.”

There was an attachment. A photo of Alex hugging J’onn, sitting upright in the bed.

Maggie sent back a quick thank you and fell asleep clutching her phone much later. Not that she got a lot of rest that night, but every time she woke up, she checked the photo and knew that Alex was alright, so she would be alright too.

**Author's Note:**

> \--  
> Listen.... IDK either okay? I had feels and this is the first I've written in months but I really needed it. I miss them. A lot. Can you tell?


End file.
